##@#%%*«,¨ ¨,«*%%#@##
##@#%%*«,¨ ¨,«*%%#@##
##@#%%*«,¨ ¨,«*%%#@##
#%%%«¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨«%%%#
##@#%%*«,¨ ¨,«*%%#@##
##@#%%*«,¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨,«*%%#@##
#%«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ####¨«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««¨#### ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«%#
#%«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«%#
#@%%%%*«,¨ ¨,«*%%%%@#
##@#%%*«,¨ ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ¨,«*%%#@##
#%%%%%*«,¨ LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES ¨,«*%%%%%#
###@#%*«,¨ OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ¨,«*%#@###
###@%%*«,¨ ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ¨,«*%%@###
#%%«¨¨¨¨¨¨ BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR ¨¨¨¨¨¨«%%#
@##%%%*«,¨ SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM ¨,«*%%%##@
@@%%%*««,¨ INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE AS FUCK ¨,««*%%%@@
#@#%*«,¨¨¨ ANTENNA ARRAYS ¨¨¨,«*%#@#
@%%*,¨¨¨¨¨ WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ¨¨¨¨¨,*%%@
##@#%%*«,¨ DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH. ¨,«*%%#@##
##@#%%*«,¨ ¨,«*%%#@##
#@#%%««¨¨¨ WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT OUR POSITION IN THE ¨¨¨««%%#@#
@@#%%%*«,¨ SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS ¨,«*%%%#@@
##@#%%*«,¨ PLACEMENT IN THE GALAXY, AND OUR ¨,«*%%#@##
##@#%%*«,¨ GALAXYS PLACEMENT IN THE LOCAL CLUSTER, ¨,«*%%#@##
##@#%%*«,¨ AND «OUR« LOCAL CLUSTERS PLACE IN THE ¨,«*%%#@##
@@@#%%*«,¨ GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS ¨,«*%%#@@@
@##%**,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,**%##@
##@#%%*«,¨ AND WE'RE MOVING AROUND THE SUN AT ¨,«*%%#@##
#@%**«,¨¨¨ VELOCITY AND THE SUNS MOVING AROUND THE ¨¨¨,«**%@#
#%%**«¨¨¨¨ CENTER OF THE GALAXY AT VELOCITY AND ¨¨¨¨«**%%#
@%%*«¨¨¨¨¨ THE GALAXY IS MOVING TOWARD ANDROMEDA ¨¨¨¨¨«*%%@
###%%%*«,¨ AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE ¨,«*%%%###
##@#%%*«,¨ AROUND THE GALAXY. AND WE AS A SPECIES ¨,«*%%#@##
####%%*«,¨ HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT ¨,«*%%####
##@#%%*«,¨ ¨,«*%%#@##
###@#%*«,¨ AND DESPITE ALL THIS, DESPITE ALL OUR ¨,«*%#@###
##@#%%*«,¨ (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR ¨,«*%%#@##
##%%%%*«,¨ RADIO PROGRAMMES OUT IN FUCKING SPACE ¨,«*%%%%##
@#%%**«,¨¨ AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT (LIGHT IS OUR ¨¨,«**%%#@
##@#%%*«,¨ MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!), ¨,«*%%#@##
##%%***«,¨ DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE ¨,«***%%##
@#%%«««¨¨¨ COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS ¨¨¨«««%%#@
@%%«««,¨¨¨ FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS ¨¨¨,«««%%@
###%%%*«,¨ BEAMING OF ALL OUR SECRETS IN EVERY ¨,«*%%%###
##@#%%*«,¨ DIRECTION KNOWN TO US, ¨,«*%%#@##
#%%%*«¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨«*%%%#
@%**«¨¨¨¨¨ NO ¨ ONE ¨ HAS ¨ ANSWERED ¨¨¨¨¨«**%@
##@#%%*«,¨ ¨,«*%%#@##
###%«««,,¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨,,«««%###
##@#%%*«,¨ ####¨«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««¨#### ¨,«*%%#@##
#%%%%*,¨¨¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨¨¨,*%%%%#
#%***««¨¨¨ ¨¨¨««***%#
##@#%%*«,¨ SO WHY IS THAT? ¨,«*%%#@##
###%%%*«,¨ ¨,«*%%%###
##@#%%*«,¨ MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ¨,«*%%#@##
@@#%%%*«,¨ THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED ¨,«*%%%#@@
##@#%%*«,¨ A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE ¨,«*%%#@##
##@#%%*«,¨ PLANET NEEDS TO BE AT A SEE-AND-SO ¨,«*%%#@##
###@#%*«,¨ DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR (LIKE THERE ¨,«*%#@###
##@#%%*«,¨ HAS TO BE A PLANET!) ¨,«*%%#@##
##@#%%*«,¨ ¨,«*%%#@##
@##%**,,¨¨ BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE ¨¨,,**%##@
##@#%%*«,¨ DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? ¨,«*%%#@##
#@%%*,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,*%%@#
####%%*«,¨ I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ¨,«*%%####
##@#%%*«,¨ IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ¨,«*%%#@##
@@%%%*,¨¨¨ SHOWS) ¨¨¨,*%%%@@
##@#%%*«,¨ ¨,«*%%#@##
#@@#%%*«,¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨,«*%%#@@#
##@#%%*«,¨ ####¨«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««¨#### ¨,«*%%#@##
##@#%%*«,¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨,«*%%#@##
#%%*««««,¨ ¨,««««*%%#
##@#%%*«,¨ I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE ¨,«*%%#@##
@%%*,¨¨¨¨¨ THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ¨¨¨¨¨,*%%@
#%*««¨¨¨¨¨ FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ¨¨¨¨¨««*%#
##@#%%*«,¨ ¨,«*%%#@##
###@#%*«,¨ ¨,«*%#@###
###%***«,¨ ¨,«***%###
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#%*,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,*%#